October 15, 2020 (Langford, BC) – Head coach Kingsley Jones has named a 36-player squad invited to a three-week high-performance training camp in Langford, BC.  The players will assemble at the Al Charron National Training center from November 9th to 29th.

Only Canadian-based players have been considered for selection to this camp due to COVID-19 related restrictions and quarantine requirements upon entry to Canada.  In addition, Jones has eight Canadian players currently in French leagues and one player in New Zealand at his disposal but opted not to bring these players to camp as they are currently involved in active competitions.

The majority of the players selected have returned to training over the past eight weeks with either the Rugby Canada National Development Academy or the Toronto Arrows daily training environment. The high performance camp will serve as a next step in these players return to rugby pathway.

The camp will strictly follow Return to Sport guidelines for the Province of BC as set by the Provincial Health Authorities and associated agencies.  The combined cohort of the camp will be less than 50 individuals including coaches/staff, medical staff, and players for the three-week period.

Head coach Kingsley Jones said, “We are very much looking forward to November and getting to work with the players for the first time in over 12 months.  It’s been a tough 2020 for everyone, particularly watching rugby being played around the world and recently with international rugby added back to the calendar.”

“We’re excited to see some experienced names including, Sears Duru, Ilnicki, LeSage, Rumball, and Parfrey”, continued Jones, “But equally as excited to include a number of National Development Academy players  who have progressed exceptionally well in the past 14 months such as Liam Murray, Josh Thiel and Michael Smith to name a few.  In addition, a number of our centralized 7s players will be taking part in preparation for next years’ Olympic Games and beyond. Theo Sauder, Brock Webster, Phil Berna, Andrew Coe, and Cooper Coates will all be in  camp.”

Jones concluded, “As expected, the squad has a large number of Toronto Arrows players taking part and we are pleased that the Arrows coaching team of Aaron Carpenter, Pete Smith and Rodin Lozada will be supporting Jamie Cudmore,  Phil Mack and I in coaching during the camp.  We will also be joined by Arrows COO and general manager Mark Winokur.

“Our Arrows organization is honoured to be involved in this training camp, and we’re very excited to get back onto the field with Rugby Canada,” said Arrows Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Mark Winokur. “With challenges exacerbated by the pandemic over the past several months, this camp is the best and most productive way to get back to doing what we love. This will be the biggest step we can take in 2020 to get back on the road to a successful return to the game, and to better times ahead.”

High Performance Men’s Training Camp:

Backs:

Phil Berna, UBC

Cooper Coats, Halifax Tars

Andrew Coe, Markham Irish

Guiseppe du Toit, Toronto Arrows*

Doug Fraser, Old Glory DC*

Brock Galagher, Strathcona Druids RFC

Jason Higgins, Toronto Arrows*

Will Kelly, Toronto Arrows*

Ben LeSage, Toronto Arrows*

Kainoa Lloyd, Mississauga Blues

Quinn Ngawati, Rugby United New York*

Issac Olsen, Castaway Wanderers

Patrick Parfrey, Toronto Arrows*

Theo Sauder, Vancouver Rowing Club

Crosby Stewart, UVIC

Josh Thiel, San Diego Legion*

Brock Webster, Oshawa Vikings

Forwards:

Frank Carson, UBC

Matt Heaton, Rugby ATL*

Jake Ilnicki, Seattle Seawolves*

Cole Keith, Toronto Arrows*

Izzak Kelly, Canada U20 / UBC

Conor Keys, Rugby ATL*

Dewald Kotze, Strathcona Druids RFC

Liam Murray, James Bay AA

Marc-Antoine Ouellet, Club de Rugby de Québec

Andrew Quattrin, Toronto Arrows*

Tyler Rowland, Toronto Arrows*

Lucas Rumball, Toronto Arrows*

Connor Sampson, UBC

Djustice Sears-Duru, Seattle Seawolves*

Michael Smith, UBC

Jake Thiel, James Bay AA

Siaki Vikilani, Toronto Arrows*

Taitutsi Vikalani, Burnaby Lake Rugby Club

Adrian Wadden, Toronto Arrows*

*Major League Rugby athletes

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About Rugby Canada:

Rugby Canada is the national governing body of the sport of Rugby Union in Canada. They administer and operate Men’s and Women’s Senior and Junior National programs in both rugby XV’s and 7s, as well as govern the Club and community game for more than 30,000 registered participants from coast to coast in conjunction with ten Provincial Union members.

Rugby Canada is headquartered at the Al Charron National Training Centre in Langford, BC, with staff also working from Vancouver, Toronto and Ottawa. Rugby Canada business operations, programs and events are delivered nationwide, including the internationally recognized HSBC Canada Sevens annual tournaments.

For more information, please contact: media@rugby.ca.